Midnight's Rose
by only.trying.today
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke have ended the war, Sakura lays wounded. Sasuke struggles with the darkness in his heart, trying to find purpose. A SasuSaku story, NaruHina included. This is my first shot at fan fiction, so it's kinda rough. Read and enjoy
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, that honor goes to goes to Mr. Masashi Kishimoto. This story was conceived in early July so it will not follow any anime past that point. I attempted to keep this as true as possible to the Manga the story is derived from. **

**The story is a Sasusaku tale, but also deals with Sauske and Sakura struggling to adjust to the world after the war, and trying to find themselves. Sorry to disappoint, not much fluff (as I feel it is out of place with any story involving Sauske). This is my first attempt at Fan Fiction, and first time writing in quite some time, I will try to add further installments to the story when I have the time. Enjoy!**

Midnight's Rose

Chapter 1 conclusion (prologue)

Sakura… Sasuke Stood and watched as Naruto tried to heal her. She lay sprawled on the ground, gaping wound in her chest that glowed faintly as her 100 healings technique tried to heal it, but she was too weak. Naruto's hand glowed, sun chakra streaming to the wound. It was over; Kaguya was sealed, hopefully for good. Sauske looked at the devastation centered on the great tree that stretched to the sky, its massive flower opened at the top. Corpses littered the ground; all of the shinobi has not yet fallen from the tree, despite Kaguya's defeat, and despite the Hokagaes sealing Jutsu. He looked back over to Sakura, who still lay lifeless, and thought to himself _was this world worth the sacrifice? _This scar would remain, shattered earth a testament to the carnage of this war. Sasuke looked up at the moon, which had begun to surrender to dawn, thinking of his role, of how his vengeance must now surrender to aid the village, the village that had forced Itachi to dishonor. A village Itachi died for. Itachi…. Sasuke's mind began to drift back to the battle he and Naruto had endured.

The portal closed, Sasuke landed heavily on the hard stone. Fatigue swept him, his vision blurred, _I can't fail, or I cannot fix this world. It will be for nothing, Itachi's death would have been for nothing. _His vision steadied, the Rinnegan returning to his left eye. _We must defeat her! _Sasuke stood, Obito was collapsed on Sakura next to him. He looked and saw Naruto battling Kaguya in the distance, the god tree behind them. _We're back in the real world. We must have beaten her dimensional Jutsu. _His Susanoo bloomed into existence as he sprung at Kaguya

_Damn! _Sasuke tried to rise. _It's no use; I haven't recovered from her attack yet. _Kaguya rose in front of Sasuke. Naruto struggled against massive barrages of rock as the cliffs and earth around him came to life, trying to crush him. Kaguya's voice echoed out "Now your chakra will be mine, and then your friend's, there is nothing left for you to hope for but eternal genjutsu."

_Ugh, I can't get up. _Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt a cold presence creep into his body, paralyzing his motion. _Black Zetsu! Where did he come from? _His Sharringan faded as Zetsu took over his body. _Damn it! Not like this! _Kaguya floated down, hand outstretched, reaching for Sasuke's Chakra

_ Hychaaa! _ The Ground in front of Sasuke exploded large shards of stone erupting into a crater. _CHA! _A loud crunch and one of those shards flew at Kaguya, forcing her to retreat further. She hovered, slowly descending to the ground as the dust cleared. The dust settled, Sakura stood in the center of the crater, fists clenched, glaring at the god like opponent in front of them. "Get away from him!" Sakura's voice rang clear, defiant. "I will not let you have Sasuke!"

"Sakura get out of here! She's too strong! You don't have a chance. Leave before you make this situation any worse!" Sasuke collapsed from the position he had fought to. _I can't move, she won't make it against her. _

Sakura closed her eyes in aggravation, wrinkling her forehead. "Shut the hell up Sasuke." She assumed a fighting stance, fists glowing with chakra. She opened her eyes, determination shining. "I was never able to keep up with you, always watching you from behind. I kept losing you, first to Orochimaru, then to the Akatsuki, I was never able to help you, never able to save you as I lost you to vengeance, and then to the darkness in your heart." She looked back at Sasuke locking her gaze to his "I love you and always will, and I will die before I lose you again!" Sasuke's eyes widened with surprise.

Sakura launched herself forward at Kaguya, punching the ground in front of her, popping up boulders which she used to blast Kaguya with. She launched up swinging at Kaguya, missing. She landed on the ground putting both of her fists in the ground, creating fissures across the plateau. With a cry she lifted a massive fragment of rock into the air and hurled it at her opponent. Kaguya's eyes flashed and it shattered into hundreds of pieces. Sakura grinned. _Got you! _She made a hand sign. Explosions erupted around the mother of chakra as the paper bombs exploded. Kaguya looked at the explosions disinterested, dispelling them with a wave of her hand. She looked returned her focus back to the ground where Sakura was, her eyes widening with surprise. "Heaven Kick of Pain!" Sakura's heel connected with the top of Kaguya's head with a mighty crack, sending her plummeting to the ground, blasting a crater in the ground. "CHA" Sakura screamed as she rocked to the ground fist first to finish the job. The crater containing Kaguya erupted into debris and dust.

"Sakura" Sasuke breathed as he stared in amazement. _When did she get that powerful? _He watched as Sakura leapt back from the crater. _Did she do it? _That ominous chakra returned "Sakura watch out!" Sauske rose slightly throwing off some of black Zetsu, staggering towards her, _too late._ Sakura leapt back more but Kaguya grabbed her by the throat "your chakra is mine!" she hissed. Sakura smashed her hand down on Kaguya's wrist, forcing her to let go, but she failed to rise up, exhausted from having her chakra drained. "Sakura!" Kaguya's hand penetrated Sakura's chest from behind, ripping almost all of her chakra out in as she withdrew it. _No! _Sasuke's Sharringan returned, blasting Kaguya with multiple Amaterasu. "You will burn!" Sasuke's Susanoo returned, disintegrating black Zetsu. He attacked, hate fueling his jutsu.


	2. Chapter 2

**Finished chapter 2. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Sorry for all of the flashbacks in this one! I hate to repeat the anime, but i had to build motivation. it'll be a while before i can manage another chapter. Enjoy!**

**A/N: Italicized words indicate thoughts, quotes indicate spoken word.**

Chapter 2 New Dawn,

Sasuke felt Naruto's chakra fade. He turned his attention back to his two companions. Naruto was kneeling beside an unconscious Sakura, exhaustion showing on his battle worn face. Sasuke examined Sakura, there was new flesh slowly forming into the hole in her chest, illuminated with a faint green glow. Her face was beginning to regain color and her 100 healings marks had returned faintly. The shadow of death had left her, but only just. "She shouldn't have gotten in the way," Sasuke grumbled, "She was too weak to do anything; she didn't stand a chance against _her_." His voice hardening at the thought of Kaguya, "What a foolish girl, she should have thought before she acted."

Sasuke's flinched as Naruto stood and whirled around to face Sasuke, fists clenched, faces only centimeters apart. Anger danced in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke could feel the Kyubi's chakra rising up, "How can you say that! She is your comrade, willing to sacrifice herself for you! How can you be so cold hearted, she's a member of you team, and you never abandon your friends." Naruto stepped back and continued, "She never gave you up, always chasing after you, she will willing to destroy you to save you from the darkness, even though she loved you more than life." Naruto looked down at Sakura, his face saddening and his chakra fading away, "No matter what I did, or how hard I tried to earn her heart, she would always cling to the thought of you, hoping one day you would acknowledge her. She never gave up on trying to earn your heart or a place by your side. This time she had a chance to save you, and refused to back down." Naruto turned away from him again, looking out across the devastated battle ground. "I've done what I could; her healing Jutsu will finish the job."

Sasuke stood riveted to the same spot. _Is that really why she did something that foolish? Did she really risk her life just for me? _ His mind returned to the battle.

The Edo Tensi Hokage Stood around the tree, hands outstretched in front of then, chakra shooting up into the air as they attempted to bind the tree. Naruto sent a barrage of clones at Kaguya while Sasuke built up his chakra to use the Rinnegan. His Rinnegan appeared back in his eye. _Now! _He activated it, negating Kaguya's jutsu, just as Naruto's clones managed to land a hit on her. Sasuke awakened his Susanoo and drew back his flame control as Naruto summoned a Rasen-shuriken.

Minutes later the boys landed on the ground, glaring up at Kaguya floating out of a portal, her White gown now tattered from several successful hits. Sauske gripped his side, fighting exhaustion. _We can't keep this up much longer, this needs to end now. _He looked over at Sasuke, they nodded, and attacked.

Moments later: _so close! _ Sasuke could barely keep his irritation in check. Kaguya floated away from another failed attempt to bind her, but she was slowing. _The Hokages sealing is working, she's losing energy. _Sauske stepped forward, but pain shot through his entire body, forcing him down to one knee, _Damn it, I'm too drained, my chakra is gone and my body is at its limit. _Naruto appeared next to him, placing a hand on his back. "Here you go Sauske; we'll split my remaining chakra." Sasuke stood, his gaze narrowing, "Lets finish this." _And quickly, Naruto is just as exhausted as I am, this isn't much chakra. _They leapt forward at Kaguya. She dodged their strikes, sending bolts of energy flying at them. Barely dodging they resumed their attack. Kaguya raised her hands, a halo of chakra glowing around them. _That much chakra, we can't withstand a single hit from this. _Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted as the glow faded and Kaguya doubled over, Surprise evident on her inhuman face. "Now Sauske!" Naruto called. They both leapt at her Sun and Moon hands outstretched.

Sasuke surveyed the destruction before him, brushing away the recent memories. The sky was beginning to grey from the coming dawn. _It took all that to stop her, and only luck and the Hokages' sealing allowed us to win. _He looked at Sakura. _Why did she fight her, she knew she was out of her league. Why did she try to throw her life away for me? I haven't counted her as a comrade in years; I've even tried to kill her. _Sasuke closed his eyes, anger and confusion coursing through him. _I had fallen, become a burden, why would she try to save me. She owes me nothing, and she knows that she means nothing to me, only a burden. Sakura is weak, always was, preferring to cry and let Naruto fight her battles. _The memory of Sakura standing before him in a fighting stance flashed through his mind, "_I will always love you!" _ Sasuke opened his eyes, looking at Sakura, _why does she still cling to me? She only knew me as a child, she could never understand me, never understand my loneliness. My ninja way is one of vengeance; I am apart from them, different, why would she throw her life away for that?_

The great tree seemed to shiver, more petals falling from the flower at the top. Sasuke shifted his attention to the tree. The god tree seemed almost to be trembling, the roots began to quiver and more and more petals began to fall from the tree, disintegrating into a cascade of fragments as they fell. Light flooded the battleground as the sun breached the horizon. The Tree began to wither. The pods containing the shinobi army started to fall to the ground, sparingly at first, and then so many that rain appeared to be falling from the roots of the tree. As the pods left the roots, they began to wither, crumbling when devoid of pods. The tree itself was being covered by splotches of grey, which expanded until they covered they entire trunk, slowly creeping up to the flower of the great tree. When the shift was complete an orb of light appeared above the flower and exploded into a rain of light, falling on the grounded pods.

"The tree has turned into stone."

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement to Naruto and continued to watch the scene. He could feel hundreds of weak chakras awakening.

"The pods!" Sasuke looked over hearing Naruto's voice to see Naruto squinting at the fallen pods. They began to shake and dissolve, revealing the still forms of Shinobi. "Are they okay?" Naruto asked, a hint of pleading in his voice. Sasuke saw Naruto's head hang in relief, "they're alive, weak but alive."

Sasuke stared blankly at the Shinobi stirring on the ground. He felt the familiar presence of Sueigetsu, Karin, and Jugo's chakra. _Well it looks like they survived this after all. _A slight scowl appeared on his face at the recognition of Orochimaru's chakra. _And so did the snake. _

Naruto tensed up, "Hinata!" he called, leaping down the cliff, and then bounding to one of the figures on the ground.

Looking over the scene Sasuke felt a sense of revulsion. _They did this, these people created this cursed shinobi system. These people caused the hate that slaughtered my clan. _His fists clenched._ They made Itachi die for this. _His mind drifted into memories.

His leg hurt. _Why did I have to mess up in front of brother like that?_ He clung to his older brother as he was carried back to the Uchiha district. _Someday I'll be stronger than brother._

_Something's wrong. _Sasuke ran through the streets of the Uchiha district, the moon high in the sky. A look of horror crossed his face as he came upon the first group of corpses. _Mom, dad! _Sasuke frantically sprinted back to his house. _What is happening, who could do this? _

Sasuke clutched his side, looking up at his brother. "Come before me when you have the same eyes as me." His challenge finished ringing in his ears, almost seeming to tear at his soul.

Pain coursed through his body as he stood in the center of Haku's jutsu, Mirrors completely surrounding him. Naruto lay helpless on the ground behind him. _Damn him, why is he always so useless? _He collapsed on the ground. He heard Naruto call his name as he ran over to him. "Why Sauske?"

"My body just moved on its own."

He couldn't move, the curse mark felt like a hot iron on his flesh. He looked on helpless as Sakura was pinned to the tree by his opponent. _I must protect her; I can't lose another comrade, not again! _He grimaced in pain, still unable to move _I'm too weak… _

He stood across from Naruto, a waterfall separated them. _How could this idiot push me this far? I will end this. _"You are special Naruto." He released his curse mark, feeling power course through him, as well as intense pain. _This has to end quickly. _He leapt, Chidori streaming around his hand.

He looked down at the defeated Naruto. _I can't believe he put up this much of a fight. _Pain doubled him over as he coughed up blood. _This fight was too intense, and the curse mark caused too much damage. Why did it come to this?_

_How is he still moving, is he really this strong? _Itachi lurched to him; the blazing Susanoo had blocked all of his admittedly feeble attacks. Fear gripped him as Itachi reached out for him. _All this for nothing! _Itachi's Susanoo faded, Itachi's fingers on his forehead in a perversion of his old habit. His fingers slid down his face and Itachi collapsed into the wall, then to the ground. _How? Is he really dead? _Blackness overtook him as Sasuke collapsed.

Danzo stumbled away; bloody sandal tracks marked his flight. Sasuke walked calmly after him, savoring his victory. _I finally have my revenge for my clan's slaughter. _He felt the power from the hate buzzing in his veins. _They will all suffer._

Sasuke stood in front of Naruto again. "What do you want from me?" he screamed! "Why do you still chase me?" "Because I'm your friend!" Naruto's answer rang out.

Sasuke felt power emanating from his eyes. _So this is Itachi's power? With this, I will crush the leaf. I will have my vengeance._

Kabuto stood immobilized as Itachi forced him to complete the hand signs. A column of light illuminated Itachi "there's still time" he called as he walked towards Sasuke. Images of the Uchiha slaughter and the plot surrounding it played through the youth's mind. Itachi pressed his forehead to his younger brother's. "I will love you always" he said to him. His body crumbled as his spirit ascended. The last Uchiha stood there, gazing at where Itachi vanished.

Sasuke's face hardened as the memories played out. He gazed at the rising sun. _I will always love you._ The line rang through his head. His hand clenched his chest, _why did Itachi die for this? He was greater than this world, it didn't deserve his life! _The pain in his chest intensified, causing his hand to clench harder, blood welling up under his nails. _This world needs to be torn down, it deserves to be destroyed, no matter what the Hokages said, it is beyond saving. _He looked at the slowly recovering shinobi, hatred in his eyes. He spotted Naruto tending to Hinata as she continued to recover from the genjutsu. _I will always love you. _The line echoed through his mind again, accompanied by an image of Sakura standing defiantly in front of him. _That changed them, that love, that love that the world would kill them for having. That world I wanted to destroy…... My Vengeance!... That vengeance the world harbors….. _The Uchiha's eyes widened, his hand fell from his chest. _Vengeance destroyed that love. I called for vengeance, am I no different, did I continue to kill that love just like this twisted world? _Sasuke's head spun, his vision flickered. _Did I take the right path?_

His train of thought was interrupted by a cough behind him. He turned to see Sakura's eyes open, staring hazily at him. She reached her hand up, "Sasuke" his name was barely a whisper on her breath. He looked at her coldly, "hmph, you made it." Sakura's hand fell as she fell unconscious again. His hand began to dart out, almost involuntarily, as her head fell back to the ground. _Is she okay? _He looked down at his outstretched hand, confused. _Why should it bother me if she is, she is just a burden after all._

**_Remember to favorite if you liked it, feel free to leave comments, anything to help improve my writing. Enjoy your day! :)_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, (assuming there is actually somebody keeping up with this story), I'm at Annual Training so squeezing in the time to write is rather difficult. I do believe this chapter is better than the last on i put out. I hope ya'll enjoy the story, favorite and review it if you want to see more of it. Thanks and enjoy.**

Chapter 3 Realization

Sasuke was sitting in a chair near a small table as he stared intently at the door of his room. It was more of a cell than a room since his confinement here was hardly voluntary, but he had elected not to raise an issue with it since he knew the Hokage would release him. The room was in no way uncomfortable, there was a twin bed in one corner, a plush couch, and a large collection of books sitting comfortably in an oak book case. The floor was carpeted, the room was well lit, and he even had his own small bathroom tucked in a small enclave. The only indication that this room was designed to detain somebody was a steel door, and the faintest hint of a sealing jutsu built into the walls. Sasuke could sense an Anbu operative standing guard outside his door.

None of this bothered the last of the Uchiha; he currently had no desire to be among the people of the Hidden Leaf Village. _I am still worn out from the battle anyway, _he thought_, this is the perfect chance to recover and plan out what I'm going to do. _

_I am an avenger. _The line ran through his head. Those words are ones he had lived by, his reason for existing. Those words gave him purpose when he had none, and direction when he had no way to go. That was until he became part of team 7. As a member of that team he had gained comrades, comrades he trusted. He had built bonds with them; they became people he had to protect.

_Naruto, that damn fool. He never had the sense to quit, always being loud and obnoxious, and making claims he could never have the ability live up to, yet somehow he managed it time and time again. Always so damn annoying, but he had been his closest friend, but that was before. _

_Sakura, if possible, she was even more foolish. She was so weak, never able to stand against any threat, always relying on Naruto and himself for safety. She was loud too, and more obnoxious than Naruto, always too busy swooning over him. Still, she was a comrade, one he had failed to protect in the end. _He winced as he remembered his bout with Garra.

Sasuke's Gaze grew colder. _I had to sever those bonds though, for the power that could give me my vengeance. I did not hesitate to do that, and that path gave me great rewards. I now have power beyond anyone else. My vengeance gave me purpose, it made me strong. _Sauske winced, putting his hand over his eye as a burning pain seared through his eye. A memory came to his mind, seemingly of its own will.

Itachi stood in front of him, forehead to forehead. "I will always love you"

The pain faded and he let his hand fall, his dark hair obscuring his eye. _My vengeance changed, became something different, my purpose was false. Even now, I have sworn to help and lead the very cause of my pain and my hate, the Hidden Leaf. How can I stop this cycle? How do I change the role of Hokage? _His hands clenched, _how can I fix this cursed world? _A cascade of memories whirled through Sasuke's mind, memories of all of his battles, his victories and his failures. Memories of all the people he had met during his quest for vengeance played through his head, memories of his parents, of Itachi, and the final battle with Kaguya. A maelstrom of emotions ravaged his mind, slowly settling into a single thought, _I must separate myself from this. I must dissolve all bonds and rise above them in order to act as a Kage should. _His gaze settled back on the door, _my comrades have always held me back, if I had not always been stopping to drag them along, or to save them then I would be far greater than I am now. _The eye began burning again, he covered it with his hand instinctively, the pain causing him to lower his gaze. He stared at his hand, and the small crescent moon now permanently branded into his palm.

_These eyes… every time my power had been lacking, there was always someone there that could further his strength, a source of power. From Kakashi to the sage, his power had always come from another, even his eyes were inherited. _Sasuke let his hand fall again, this time staring at the ground, doubt gaining a foothold in his mind. _Without them, I would have died long ago; I wouldn't have stood a chance. _The former avenger clenched his fists in frustration, nails digging into his palms causing small beads of blood to run down his hands. He rose out of the chair and moved towards his bed, preparing to sleep for the night. _Can I really do this alone? _The question echoed through his head as he drifted off to sleep.

A few days had passed; Sasuke could feel his power slowly returning. _That battle drained me more than I thought it would; it has never taken me this long to recover. _He lounged on the couch, his blade sat in the corner. The Hokage had returned it this morning, apologizing again for the inconvenience his imprisonment caused him. _How weak. _He thought. He could hear the Anbu guards talking outside his door.

"He's only being held until the Kage can figure out what they're going to do with him. The Hokage says we have nothing to worry about, and she did say he was a comrade."

"The Hokage isn't always right; you can't tell me you trust him after what he did."

"Well yea, but he did come to help us when we needed it the most."

"So did Orochimaru, but both of them are still traitors and criminals."

"True…"

"Can you really tell me you trust him?"

"Well no…."

"Exactly, this is a mistake; we should have finished him when he was still weak."

A brooding Uchiha sat on the other side of the door, contemplating the conversation. _I will prove them wrong; I will show them an Uchiha does not waver in their conviction._

The guard knocked on his door. "You have a visitor." The door swung open to reveal Naruto standing in the doorway, hands relaxingly clasped behind his head. Naruto grinned "Hey Sasuke."

He slowly looked over at his old comrade, "Hello Naruto." Sausuke could detect a new kind of confidence from him, different from what came from his unconquerable determination. He wore a black T-shirt with the Leaf insignia emblazoned on the front, his usual orange pants, sandals, and a purple crystal pendant hanging from a black string on his neck. "What do you want?" he demanded in a flat tone.

Naruto resumed grinning, "I came by to see how you were doing of course. I was trying to get by here sooner but they are keeping me too busy lately, and the hours to visit you are too short." An annoyed look crossed his face as he pondered his statement. "I've waited so long to have you back here in the village; it's almost like a dream." Naruto's smile returned, "Maybe it will be like old times soon. I keep asking the Hokage to release you sooner, but Granny Tsunade keeps refusing." His look turned serious, "They shouldn't have you locked up like this, even if it is temporary, you've done too much to help the village, and the world." A slight smile crossed Naruto's face, "But to hell with them doubting you! I know you've come around, I can see it."

The dark haired shinobi stared wordlessly at Naruto, the brief silence was broken by the guard's voice, "Time's up, visitation is over for the day, even for you Naruto." Naruto waved goodbye as the guard escorted out, "I'll drop by again when I can Sasuke! Oh and Sakura's okay! She just woke up yesterday, she will recover. She keeps asking about you," at this Naruto's face became cross, displaying his disappointment "and she can't wait to see you." the door shut, cutting off the hyperactive ninja's voice, and leaving him to his thoughts again. Sasuke felt a strange sense of elation, as if a weight was lifted from his chest. He activated his Sharringan, staring at the table as if it would give him the answers he needed.

The days passed slowly, visitors coming and going. Sasuke slowly felt his strength return. The guards now allowed him out to a secure training area to start recovering his powers, and he spent hours every day training. As he walked back in his room after another strenuous day of attempting to activate his Mangekyo Sharringan, he surveyed his surroundings, a bouquet of flowers from Ino adorned his table now, but they had begun to wilt. A stack of books, still justifiably untouched, from Kakashi sat on his nightstand next to medicine delivered from the Fifth Hokage herself. The medicine was supposed to boost his recovery, it was an old Uchiha remedy for overused visual jutsu, but had done little to speed his recovery, his Mangekyo was still frustratingly hard to activate. _How much did that battle drain me? _He wondered.

The guard knocked on his door, "You have a visitor"

"Let him in." Sasuke said as he sat down on the couch.

His visitor was a thin, pale male, with jet black hair in a bowl cut. He wore a plain black button up shirt with plain black pants; he carried a small backpack over his shoulder.

He looked over at him casually, "Who are you?"

The young man bowed in greeting, "I am the new member of team 7, your replacement. My name is Sai" His voice was neutral, almost too polite to be real. He smiled at Sauske, as he stood there waiting for a response.

"Hmph" was the Uchiha's only reply.

Sai did not appear discouraged by his reply and continued, "I do not know you personally, although we have met before. All I really know about you is that you are a comrade and a close friend of Sakura and Naruto. Sai's gaze became cold, sparking irritation in Sauske. Sai's voice gained a steely edge, "You have done great evil to this village, and to the world, but especially to Naruto and Sakura, your closest friends. If it were not for them you would have been hunted down and killed like any other rogue." Sai paused briefly, "I cannot hate you for your actions, no matter how much I wish to. Your actions were unbecoming of a Shinobi."

Sasuke returned the Sai's cold glare, "Why did you come here?"

"I intended to make you aware of the impact of your actions." Sai stopped, as if waiting for a response, finding only Sasuke's glare in return he resumed, "Naruto grew from the pain you caused him. It provided him motivation and desire to become stronger than ever. Thanks to that, he was able to become respected across the 5 nations and built many bonds. However, he was never able to forgive himself for losing you to Orochimaru and your vengeance; it was a weight constantly weighing on his heart, a weight he did not deserve to bear."

"Sakura too used your betrayal to gain strength and purpose, for it, she suffered every day, never able to live with the fact she didn't have the strength to stop you, or to keep you here."

"Your desertion consumed them, it defined who they were, and the paths they took. All of which they did for you. You caused them pain every day; every time you were absent they were reminded of their failure with you. All of this because of your quest for vengeance." A strange light occupied Sai's eyes, hostility emanated from his demeanor, "If you continue to cause them pain, I will destroy you. I too have strong bonds with them, but I have none with you, therefore I have no desire to forgive you for your transgressions. Your vengeance brought nothing but pain on those closest to you, a pain that they did not deserve."

Sasuke, unclasped his hands, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, his Mangekyo Sharringan glared at Sai, his voice radiated hatred, "All bonds are useless to me as they cause only pain and hatred, I will sever all of them in order to be free of that cycle of destruction. I rise above those bonds and become Hokage so I can fix this wretched shinobi world, and show them how a Kage should act."

Sai returned his stare, unimpressed. He turned away and began walking towards the door. "You have already tried to sever your bonds before, and now what do you have to show for it." Sai exited the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Sasuke's Sharringan faded, his gaze lowering to the ground. A cloud of doubt returned to his mind. _Am I really any closer to reaching my goal?_

* * *

Sakura put down her glass back on the plate. _Ugh, this hospital food is nasty. _She was propped up in a bed in her hospital room; the curtains were open letting in air from the beautiful day outside. The room was very plain as the village had yet to fully recover from its destruction. Her chest still hurt from where Kaguya had pierced it. _If it wasn't for my healing jutsu and Naruto, that would have killed me. _She was still weak, and would need more time to recover. _At least I'm awake now, _she thought. She had been comatose for three weeks following the battle; most people in the village had recovered slowly from the genjutsu, but were fine within a few days. Sakura looked up as she heard a swift knock at her door.

Lady Tsunade walked in, medical chart in hand. "Let's see how you're doing today." She walked over to begin checking Sakura.

Sakura bombarded her with questions "How are the villagers doing? Are have you healed alright? Is Sasuke okay? When will I be able to see him?"

Tsunade held up her hand, stopping Sakura's questions. "Tiring yourself out by getting excited will not do anybody any good. You need to rest."

"But..." Sakura stopped when she saw Tsunade's glare. She sensed chakra going to the Hokage's fists; she knew the danger of Tsunade's anger. She hung her head dejectedly and allowed Tsunade to begin examining her.

"Oh don't look so sad." Tsunade said as she examined her, "Since you asked, the villagers are all recovered from the tsuki no mi, although there are a few cases of ninja not having fully recovered their chakra yet. We will begin holding memorial services next week." Sakura winced as Tsunade tightened a bandage, "You will not be well enough to attend, I'm sorry." Sakura's sense of dejection only increased at this.

"What about Naruto's healing?" she asked, grasping at the hope she would be able to recover quicker.

Tsunade shook her head, "He is one of the cases of chakra not fully recovering, and the battle drained him greatly, even though he won't show it."

Sakura nodded. Her eyes lit up, "What about Sasuke?"

Tsunade looked down at her, "He's currently under armed guard by Anbu."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

The five Kage, me included, think it is unwise to let him roam freely so soon. Most of the population doesn't trust him either. He's not safe in his current condition, and he was weakened even more than Naruto. To be honest, caution is wise with him; we still don't know his true intentions."

Sakura looked at Tsunade, a challenging light in her eyes, "Is that what you think, or what the other Kage think?"

Tsunade turned around to walk out of the room, "I think he has proven his intent." As she reached the door she turned her head back, revealing the barest hint of a grin, "In a few days he should be recovered enough. He will be released and able to move around the village again." Tsunade walked out of the room, the door swinging shut behind her.

Sakura hung her head, relief washing over her. Tears streamed down her face. _Sasuke….._

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